Hello
We are now going to address our cold living room floor.
The floor is above a crawl space, plank, paper, felt, and lime. On top is a tongue-and-groove floor.
1. I'm wondering if we need to remove the old insulation or leave it and add new insulation on top.
2. Which insulation would you choose?
3. What do you think about sheep wool?
4. What do you think about wood fiber?
5. Anyone with experience with the materials?
6. Underfloor heating on a floor that should breathe or air-to-air etc.?
Thankful for quick responses
We are now going to address our cold living room floor.
The floor is above a crawl space, plank, paper, felt, and lime. On top is a tongue-and-groove floor.
1. I'm wondering if we need to remove the old insulation or leave it and add new insulation on top.
2. Which insulation would you choose?
3. What do you think about sheep wool?
4. What do you think about wood fiber?
5. Anyone with experience with the materials?
6. Underfloor heating on a floor that should breathe or air-to-air etc.?
Thankful for quick responses
How thick is the existing insulation layer?
There is usually no reason to remove old insulation. If the floor feels cold, it might be because the old insulation has settled a bit over the years, creating an air gap underneath where cold air from outside seeps in. If that's the case, only a topping is needed, such as wood fiber insulation that is slightly compressed. It stops the cold draft, making the floor more comfortable to walk on with bare feet.
It could also be that the existing layer (lower floor/joists) is small so that there isn't room for much insulation. Say <15 cm. In that case, replacing the insulation might be advisable. Wood fiber should be the best alternative.
Wool is probably good, but know that wet/damp wool can smell, which is undesirable.
Underfloor heating should be avoided.
There is usually no reason to remove old insulation. If the floor feels cold, it might be because the old insulation has settled a bit over the years, creating an air gap underneath where cold air from outside seeps in. If that's the case, only a topping is needed, such as wood fiber insulation that is slightly compressed. It stops the cold draft, making the floor more comfortable to walk on with bare feet.
It could also be that the existing layer (lower floor/joists) is small so that there isn't room for much insulation. Say <15 cm. In that case, replacing the insulation might be advisable. Wood fiber should be the best alternative.
Wool is probably good, but know that wet/damp wool can smell, which is undesirable.
Underfloor heating should be avoided.
It is a solution that suits better in new well-insulated houses with electric heating (HP) and slab (well-insulated), (even though it is of course completely unnecessary as new well-insulated houses do not have cold floors). The whole point of underfloor heating is to optimize operation for low-temperature systems such as heat pumps (HP). A tight and well-insulated house with controlled/regulated ventilation along with a heavy slab (ideal heat buffer) with a large heat-radiating surface allows the HP to be operated in an energy-saving manner.
In older houses with solid wood floors and moderate insulation, it is a poor solution. The old floor gets damaged/covered, the moisture balance in the house changes when moisture cannot move freely through the floor as it has in previous years, new unsightly environmentally and health-hazardous materials containing glues/plastics, altered room proportions as the new floor will be higher than the old one, risk of reduced thermal comfort if one believes an old house can rely solely on underfloor heating, and it is completely unnecessary and therefore expensive.
There are no floors more beautiful and comfortable to walk on than solid plank/floorboard floors (scrubbed floors).
Try and compare walking barefoot on a solid untreated wood floor and a plastic-coated (plastic mat, vinyl/click flooring, lacquered parquet) floor. The untreated wood floor is perceived as significantly warmer than all the others.
In older houses with solid wood floors and moderate insulation, it is a poor solution. The old floor gets damaged/covered, the moisture balance in the house changes when moisture cannot move freely through the floor as it has in previous years, new unsightly environmentally and health-hazardous materials containing glues/plastics, altered room proportions as the new floor will be higher than the old one, risk of reduced thermal comfort if one believes an old house can rely solely on underfloor heating, and it is completely unnecessary and therefore expensive.
There are no floors more beautiful and comfortable to walk on than solid plank/floorboard floors (scrubbed floors).
Try and compare walking barefoot on a solid untreated wood floor and a plastic-coated (plastic mat, vinyl/click flooring, lacquered parquet) floor. The untreated wood floor is perceived as significantly warmer than all the others.